It's Captain, If You Don't Mind
by Amberlin
Summary: missing scene from movie that I wrote in ten minutes. enjoy.


Will tried to squash the vague feeling of guilt he felt as he cast conspicuous glances at the disheveled pirate sitting across from him. He tried to convince himself that his actions on the deck of the Pearl had been justified; that Jack was perfectly capable of taking care of himself without his help. Even so, he couldn't quite get the look on Jack's face out of his mind when he failed to add the Captain's safety to his list of demands.  
  
That look of hurt disbelief was thankfully gone from the older man's face and was now replaced by an air of bored disinterest as he gazed out the bow window in Barbossa's quarters.  
  
Elizabeth, Will, and Jack had been herded into the room and ordered to sit at the table and eat after the rest of the crew was locked in the brig. Elizabeth couldn't fathom what the undead mutineer had in mind for the three uncomfortable companions, but she wasn't worried about herself or even really Will. Barbossa had agreed to set her free, and she hoped that Will's experience on the Isle De Muerta would be as simple as hers; a small cut on the hand was nothing to be afraid of.  
  
But what of Jack?  
  
She knew better than to voice her concern, knowing full well that it was probably weighing on her blacksmith's mind heavily. Jack was supposedly willing to give up Will in an effort to get his ship back, but he was a pirate and heartless acts were to be expected. What was Will's excuse for leaving the man to an uncertain fate, not once, but twice now?  
  
The appearance of Captain Barbossa broke them all out of their silent reveries. Discarding his jacket onto the table next to the uneaten delicacies he had laid out for them, he pulled out a chair with his foot and he sat facing Jack's profile.  
  
"Shall we continue our discussion Jack?"  
  
At the lack of response, Barbossa bared his rotten teeth, "No? Nothing more to say Jacks?"  
  
"I prefer Captain Sparrow... if you don't mind."  
  
Barbossa chuckled softly. He plucked an apple off the table, making sure his hand brushed across Elizabeth's arm as he did so. She didn't flinch.  
  
"It's been ten years, think you would get used to not bein' a Captain no more. You really are more stubborn than I thought, Jacks."  
  
Jack tilted his chin at the older man, "Mr. Sparrow would also do."  
  
A look of mocking came over Barbossa pocked face, "Oh yes, I forgot, only he's allowed to call you that. Or should I say was allowed to call you that."  
  
Jack didn't respond but turned his head away, catching Will's eye for just a second. Barbossa lazily tossed the apple from one hand to the other as he stared intently at Jack.  
  
"Where are we going?" It was Will who finally spoke up, growing anxious with each second.  
  
Barbossa's gaze didn't waver. "We're going to set your little Swann free. An agreement is an agreement son, even if I do hate to see her go." His focus settled briefly on the young lady next to him, just long enough to make her skin crawl, before settling back on his old friend. He tossed the apple one more time before suddenly leaning forward and wrapping a companionable arm around Sparrow's shoulder, waving the apple in front of his face.  
  
"Apple?"  
  
Jack didn't turn away. Bringing his bound hands up as far as he could, he made a polite but mocking gesture, "No thank you."  
  
Barbossa's arm remained draped over the younger pirates shoulder as he began conversing with him chattily. "You know son, I was actually hoping we could bury the hatchet. Don't you think it's a tad trifling to hold a grudge for going on ten years now?"  
  
Jack smirked and then leaned his head into Barbossa's, "That depends, mate. Are you offering me my ship back?"  
  
The cursed man hugged Jack's shoulder good-naturedly, "Now, now, don't be smart boy. She's mine now after all."  
  
"You stole her."  
  
Rolling his eyes dramatically, the older man responded, "I'm a pirate. It's what I do. I see something I want, I take it. Then it's mine. If I'm not mistaken, you live by the same rule don't you?"  
  
"You don't steal from your own crew." The murmur came from Elizabeth, showing more of her vast pirate knowledge.  
  
"The little lady here seems to more about pirating than you do Jack. But regardless, I took the Pearl because I wanted her. Isn't that how you got her?"  
  
"That's not true," Will's voice piped up, sounding more courageous than he was feeling, "You could care less about this ship. There are holes in the hull, the sails are torn. She's dirty; you're letting her rot away. No one could love a ship and take care of her like this; no Captain could, at least."  
  
Barbossa's arm slid from its resting place, "Are you accusing me of spite? Implying that I stole her just to see the look on little Jacky's face as he realized he's lost everything to me?" Jack's stared emotionlessly at the man who had betrayed him, he's eyes looking darker than Will or Elizabeth thought was humanly possible.  
  
Barbossa leaned his head back and smiled as if remembering a fond memory. "Ah, it was a wonderful look though. Almost as wonderful as the look on old Bootstrap's face right before I pushed you off the plank."  
  
Elizabeth felt Will stiffen next to her at the mention of his elusive father and Jack's eyelids fluttered almost undiscernibly...almost.  
  
"You always hated him," Jack's voice was deeper than usual, laced with an underlying hate that the habitually fey pirate didn't usually seem capable of, "Simply because he was a better man than you." Will looked at his hands as Barbossa shrugged, unconcerned with the insult.  
  
Jack continued, "And a better pirate."  
  
A growl emanated from the back of the older pirate's throat as he lunged to grab the younger Captain's hair, pulling his head painfully. Will shifted, not knowing whether or not he wanted to go to the pirate's aid, while Elizabeth jumped nervously. "A better pirate?!!? Who are you to say that to me? What does that mean for you Jack? Who taught you everything you know? Who gave you your first sword? Who taught you how to slit a throat nice and clean? Huh?"  
  
Barbossa grip loosened slightly on Jack's hair as he studied his profile, sharp and tight with suppressed emotion. "Where did that boy go?" He was murmuring now, almost as if he were talking to himself, "Where's the cold- blooded killer I use to know? The blood-thirsty pirate I was proud to claim as if he were my own son? The man you were before...before that stupid blighter swooped in and filled your head with nonsense; ruining all my hard work right before it turned into something beautiful."  
  
Will stared at his brief companion with renewed interest. Jack didn't seem quite capable of the things Barbossa was insinuating. He was sneaky and manipulative, yes, but a heartless killer? It was hard for him to imagine.  
  
"Beautiful?" Elizabeth had gained her equilibrium and now stared coolly at Barbossa, "You mean before he turned into you? I would hardly call that something beautiful."  
  
"Well, little miss," Barbossa spoke as if he were addressing a small child, "I am the best pirate in the Spanish main."  
  
"No you're not." She continued, ignoring the look of warning Will shot her, "You may be the most feared but you aren't the most admired. No one reads stories about you...great stories like the ones about Jack Sparrow."  
  
Jack raised his hands to her the same way he did that day on the docks when she convinced the Commodore to lower his gun. She wasn't sure why she said what she said, whether she was trying to defy Barbossa or defend Jack wasn't clear, but she knew it felt good to say.  
  
"People make up stories lass. The fact is, though, I have the fastest ship in the Caribbean and the most swag." He turned his attention back to Jack, "Even though, I must admit that your...creativity did come in handy now and then. There may even be a spot on my crew for someone such as yourself. That is, if you're willing to put past trifles behind you...and if you're willing to be the man I know you can be without all the pretences of decency."  
  
Jack looked truly incredulous, "You want me on your crew? Want me to serve under you?" He shook his head, "As tempting as that may sound old mate, I feel it necessary to warn you that I can be very persuasive. This ship has already housed one mutiny, I'm sure another one wouldn't tarnish her reputation much."  
  
Barbossa chuckled, "You wouldn't mutiny on anyone Jacks. You're too afraid of going to hell for it."  
  
"Hell is a large determent to some courses of action."  
  
Barbossa stroked his chin thoughtfully, "I wonder if Billy is there now? Tell me Jack, do you believe standing aside a letting something happen is the equivalent of doing it yourself? Have you ever felt angry that he didn't try to save you? Ever wondered why he didn't even warn you?"  
  
"He wasn't stupid." Jack met Will's gaze for a moment, as if sizing him up in comparison.  
  
"Aye, that's true. He was also willing to betray you in order to save himself. Must make all that talk about honor and goodness feel like a slap in the face now don't it? Personally though, I admire a person who's willing to do whatever is necessary."  
  
"He didn't even know." Jacks voice was hesitant but firm.  
  
"Yes he did boy. I told him." Barbossa cocked his head at the man he was tormenting and shook his head sympathetically, "He didn't care enough about you to risk warning you."  
  
Before anyone knew exactly what had transpired, Jack had pulled a knife from somewhere on his person and held the tip to Barbossa's chin with his bound hands. The look on his face suddenly made the insinuations Barbossa made about his character seem more plausible.  
  
The older pirate lifted his hands into the air and grinned, "My, my. Are we angry Jack? That's right," he goaded, "you know you are. Ten years of anger inside and now you're just itching to kill aren't you? Ironic that I can't die. Funny old world, isn't it? Them, though," he nodded in Will and Elizabeth's direction, "If it weren't for them, you might already have your Pearl back. And him," he gestured to Will, "he looks just like him doesn't he? Spitting image of your bloody friend; the dirty blighter who stayed locked in his cabin while my crew almost killed you all those years ago."  
  
The knife lowered and Jack's eyes twinkled but held no mirth, "There's only one person I want to kill and I'm willing to wait for the opportune moment. I'm a patient man."  
  
Barbossa shoved his hands away disgustedly, "Just like you, Captain Sparrow, to forgive him for everything he ever did. So quick to believe every word out of his mouth; such blind devotion to a man who never really loved you at all."  
  
Jack flinched for the first time at Barbossa's words and looked away.  
  
The thick silence was cut off as a hulking member of the crew burst in, "We're coming up on the island Captain."  
  
Will's head shot up as Barbossa stood, "What Island?"  
  
More crew hustled into the room and began to grab hold of the trio.  
  
"What Island?!?!" Will was screaming at Barbossa now but the pirate was still staring at Jack who had also risen from his chair.  
  
"Don't do this again." Jack's voice was quiet but far from pleading.  
  
Barbossa turned to leave without responding.  
  
"James." Jack spoke his first name comfortably, stopping the undead Captain in his tracks.  
  
He glanced at his old friend over his shoulder, "I prefer Captain Barbossa. If you don't mind." 


End file.
